China-US Contact Warm and Frequent

The year of the dragon has begun, spring has returned to the Earth, and in response to U.S. Vice President Biden, Vice-Chairman Xi Jinping made a formal visit to the United States on Feb. 13. It is Vice-Chairman Xi’s first visit to America as a Chinese leader, and it draws open the curtains for the first act of Chinese-U.S. high level relations in 2012.

Forty years ago, Chairman Mao Zedong, Prime Minister Zhou Enlai, President Nixon, Dr. Henry Kissinger and other Chinese and American leaders of the last generation, with uncommon strategic foresight and exceptional political wisdom, broke through the ice and initiated the future course of Chinese-U.S. relations with a trans-pacific handshake. Afterwards, successive Chinese and U.S. leaders used a variety of methods, and continuously reinforced their mutual understanding and trust through their tireless efforts, promoting the continued development of this process. High-level officials of the two countries transitioned from meeting each other once every several years, during the initial establishment of diplomatic relations, to meeting several times a year in recent years. Last year, Chairman Hu Jintao made a state visit to the U.S., building mutual respect between both countries and reaching a common consensus about the mutually beneficial China-U.S. cooperative partnership. The two sides met on many occasions for dialogues, negotiations and summit meetings and exchanged ideas, coordinated positions, resolved differences and jointly planned policy regarding bilateral, regional and international issues. Frequent high-level Chinese-U.S. interaction has become a beautiful backdrop of the international stage.

“Amidst incessant wailing of monkeys, my skiff passed ten thousand mountain peaks.” Regardless of how the international situation fluctuates, Chinese-U.S. relations will always move forward. Forty years of history and reality tell us that China and the U.S. can cooperate and benefit together or fight and suffer together. At present, the global economy is experiencing a weak recovery, and the European debt crisis continues to ferment. As the world’s two largest economic bodies, ensuring that relations between China and the U.S. continue to develop healthily and stably, and that they respond jointly to global challenges, is the responsibility of both nations, and it is what the international community is hoping for.

“Relations between countries are based on the affection between peoples.” Enhancing understanding, communication and cooperation between two countries is the primary result of official interactions. In 2011, mainland Chinese citizens made almost 1.4 million visits to the U.S., and U.S. citizens made nearly 2.12 million visits to China. The flow of travelers has already developed from a few thousand per year, during the initial establishment of diplomatic relations, to the current level of over 3 million people per year going back and forth between the two sides of the Pacific. Currently, the U.S. has about 4 million overseas Chinese, who have made active contributions to the development of relations and deepening of cooperation and communication in all domains between the two countries.

The friendly interactions of the Chinese and Americans have brought about rapid advances in the two countries’ international trade relations. The volume of bilateral trade has developed from less than 250 million dollars, during when diplomatic relations were first established, to more than 440 billion dollars in 2011. Each country early on became the other’s second most important trading partner. China has been America’s most rapidly expanding export market for 10 years running. The U.S. has continued to be China’s largest single export market. Chinese-U.S. trade cooperation has brought real benefits to the two countries’ peoples.

Another aspect of the frequent interactions between the peoples of the two countries is the development of Chinese-U.S. cultural exchange. China has implemented the “Chinese Bridge,” with tens of thousands of people coming to China to study, and tens of thousands of students going to the U.S. to obtain Ph.D.’s and other advanced degrees. Two hundred Chinese librarians participated in the “China-U.S. Librarians Professional Exchange Project.” America launched the “100,000 Strong Initiative” to send 100,000 exchange students to China. As of 2011, China had been the largest source of America’s foreign students, with Chinese exchange students in every part of the country. At the same time, China has become the only Asian country among the top ten destinations for American exchange students. Young exchange students have become a powerful force in the interactions between the two countries’ peoples and play an important role in the two countries’ future development.

Time passes quickly; 40 years pass in the blink of an eye. Chinese-U.S. relations may have experienced stormy weather, but they maintain their forward momentum from start to finish. This is the result of the hard work of the peoples, and generation after generation of leaders of the two countries — difficult in coming and immensely valuable. Just as Vice-Chairman Xi Jinping said in his speech at the recent 40th anniversary commemoration of President Nixon visiting China, and the Shanghai Communique, “China and the U.S. should increase the frequency and closeness of contact at every level; with a ‘seize the day’ enterprising spirit, advance the creation of a Chinese-American cooperative partnership; and for the well-being of the two countries’ people, for humanity and for peace, put forth a new and greater contribution.”*

*Editor’s note: This quote, while translated correctly, could not be verified in English.